NIGHT OF THE PHOENIX

Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure/ vague mystery
Setting: All over the place, including different dimensions, other planets and vague places that fit nowhere.
Main Characters: Harry, Malfoy

Part 6

Malfoy was cold. He had no idea how long he had been sitting inside the dark hillside. But there was no sign of Potter. He was starting to think that he should follow the hill upwards. Then the rumbling started again. It surrounded Draco, closing in on all sides. It was much louder in here as well. Draco gazed round in fear. Then he saw it. A small beam of light was coming from a downward direction. Maybe Potter had found a way in. He scrambled gratefully towards the light. But as he ran at a low crouch towards it the rumbling started to fade. He had been running for a while, he couldn't tell how far from his starting point he had come. The light died down along with the rumbling. Draco cursed as it faded and darkness swept back to engulf him. He collapsed backwards. Damn. He had been so close to somewhere to. But as the ringing in his ears from the rumbling faded, he heard another sound. A mournful song came from the direction he had seen the light. He had never heard anything like it, but he had a deep suspicion as to what it might be. Slowly he started forward again. The haunting melody became clearer as he neared, and he felt a great sorrow welling up inside him. He suddenly cursed as his head banged against something. He put his hand out. It appeared to be a wall. He had lost all sense of direction as he moved, but had found his way hear following the song. But now it surrounded him, as the rumbling had done earlier. And, as the rumbling had done, the singing faded to nothing. He had to choose a way to follow the wall. He could sense that the singer was nearby. He made up his mind and headed in a way in which the wall appeared to continue in the direction he had been heading.

Harry was leaning against a mound of earth. He had tried to dig away at the point where Malfoy had fallen, but to no avail. He had found nothing underneath the ground except more earth. Still, unrelenting he had dug for over four hours, determined to find Malfoy, no matter what. At last, he had given up, and hauled himself out of the hole in which he had dug around him. He collapsed against the loose earth, gasping for breath. Then the rumbling had started again. He hadn't the strength to dive back down in the hole and search while it continued, instead, he was forced to lie there and listen. He wondered what had happened to Malfoy. Was he even still alive?

Draco gulped. He had followed the wall to a chamber, this one lit dimly. A man been pottering around in this chamber, muttering to himself, and writing things on a bit of parchment. Every so often he would wave his hand. Draco watched him continue this for a while, hidden behind some crates, before the man had glanced up at a clock, thrown down the parchment and exited the chamber. Only then did he dare to stir. He glanced at where the man had looked before leaving. It was nearing six in the morning! Draco wondered if Potter had been up on the hill alone for the last few hours, or if he had gone somewhere else. Feeling happier now that there was some light, Draco looked around the room. His eyes widened in shock as he saw a part of the room that had been blocked from view from his hiding place. In a cage, apparently asleep now, were three magnificent birds, and he knew instinctively that they were phoenixes. But their plumage had lost the glimmer that it should have, instead, being duller. Draco crept to the notes that the man had thrown down. He picked them up, reading them quickly. His eyes widened in amazement at what he read. He shoved the notes in his robes, and gazed around. Now what?

Harry jolted and sat up. He had drifted to sleep. The sun was in the sky now, and he gazed around. Now what? A shout made him turn.

"Oi, Potter!" despite himself Harry felt relieved as the figure of Malfoy came into view.

"You're ok!" Malfoy sneered.

"No thanks to you Potter." Harry didn't bother to point out that he had dug half of the mountain apart with his bare hands. He shook his head. Malfoy spoke again.

"I think I may have found out why Fawkes is missing!" he said, pulling a slip of parchment out of his robes.

END OF PART 6